Central Hong Kong’s Barkada has a new menu of instant Filipino classics and culinary remixes to ease you into the festive season.
If you’ve not been to Hong Kong’s leading force in Filipino cuisine, then it’s time to get your act together. In a city where Filipino cuisine is relatively rare, Barkada, the creation of Filipino-American cookbook author Jen Balisi of Indulgent Eats and restaurant powerhouse Singular Concepts, continues to do the archipelago proud with its innovative and inventive take on classic dishes, and its new menu is no exception.
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With its welcoming vibe, oh-so-cool interiors and handy position on Cochrane Street, Barkada has done for Filipino food in Hong Kong what restaurants like The Fat Duck did for the nose-to-tail movement in the UK, breathing much-needed modernity into a plethora of classic dishes and culinary traditions sourced from across the 7,600 islands that make up the Philippines. It’s kind of like the Bruno Mars of Filipino restaurants – you can’t help but love it.
Now, the bold yet authentic interpretations that have garnered the restaurant a loyal following have been expanded upon with a new menu of staples and one-of-a-kind ‘Barkada Remixes’ packed with punchy flavours. You’ll be able to fend off the winter chill with Dinuguan, a pork blood stew that’s richer than Musk and more complex than Gates; and the Sizzling Bulalo, a tender beef shank served with charred corn and cabbage and topped – at the table no less – with gooey bone marrow (a wise man would do as we did and pair these heart-stoppers with the restaurant’s outstanding Coconut Negroni – coconut-infused gin, Campari and sweet vermouth).
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For something a little more elegant, you’ll want to order the Ginataang Gulay, crispy pan-seared red snapper with bok choy and green beans in a soul-soothing creamy coconut sauce; while the Pancit Hong Kong pays homage to the city’s love affair with char sui, with thick slices of roasted pork paired with cleansing calamansi in a new gastronomic remix. And one for your IG page, the Ube Biko Sundae – ube sticky rice topped with coconut ice cream and a thick, purple yam and coconut sauce – looks as good as it tastes.
Alternatively, if you’re looking to grab something simple and satisfying, you can’t go past the Pinoy Pride Chicken Sandwich, chicken thigh with a heavenly garlic-pineapple glaze, matched with pickled atchara and perched on a soft pandesal bun from local Filipino bakery Solar Hands.
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